Exam

Name___________________________________

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the
statement or answers the question.
1) The management process is made up of ________ basic functions. 1) _______
A) ten B) eight C) four D) three E) five

2) Technological applications in human resource management include(s) ________.

2) _______
A) web portals
B) wireless net access
C) application service providers
D) data warehousing
E) all of the above

3) The ________ metric can be used as a measurement to show improvements to

savings in recruitment and retention costs. 3) _______
A) cost per hire
B) time to fill
C) human capital Return on Investment
D) absence rate
E) HR expense factor

4) The ________ metric views human resource expenses in relation to the total
operating expenses of the organization. 4) _______
A) health care costs per employee
B) revenue factor
C) HR expense factor
D) human capital ROI
E) human capital value added

5) Which of the following job titles indicates a position in human resources? 5)

_______
A) recruiter
B) training specialist
C) compensation manager
D) job analyst
E) all of the above

6) What specific activity is part of the staffing function? 6) _______

A) giving each subordinate a specific task
B) maintaining morale
C) recruiting prospective employees
D) developing rules and procedures
E) both B and C

7) Of the four categories of proficiencies necessary for HR managers, which one

refers to traditional knowledge and skills in areas such as employee selection,
training, and compensation? 7) _______
A) learning proficiencies
B) leadership proficiencies
C) business proficiencies
D) HR proficiencies
E) staffing proficiencies

8) Which specific activity listed below is part of the organizing function? 8) _______
A) developing rules and procedures
B) training and developing employees
C) giving each subordinate a specific task
D) recruiting prospective employees
E) all of the above

9) Salem is particularly good at staying abreast of new technologies and

practices affecting human resources management. Which proficiency is Salem
skilled in? 9) _______
A) learning proficiencies
B) HR proficiencies
C) staffing proficiencies
D) business proficiencies
E) leadership proficiencies

10) Human resource management in the Arab world is influenced by ________. 10)
______
A) religion
B) political issues
C) history
D) culture
E) all of the above

11) Which metric indicates the total number of days from which job requisition
was approved to new hire start date? 11) ______
A) human capital ROI
B) human capital value added
C) time to fill
D) HR expense factor
E) revenue factor

12) Which basic function of management includes delegating authority to

subordinates and establishing channels of communication? 12) ______
A) organizing
B) planning
C) staffing
D) motivating
E) leading

13) Line managers respect the knowledge human resource managers have in
areas such as testing and affirmative action. Consequently, human resource
managers can influence line managers through ________. 13) ______
A) human capital
B) line authority
C) implied authority
D) functional control
E) explicit authority
14) Managers use a(n) ________ to measure the HR function's effectiveness and
efficiency in producing employee behaviors the company needs to achieve its
strategic goals. 14) ______
A) HR Scorecard
B) statistical analysis
C) metric
D) high performance work system
E) benchmark

15) ________ are responsible for assisting and advising line managers in areas like
recruiting, hiring, and compensation. 15) ______
A) Other Line managers
B) Human resource managers
C) Staff managers
D) Board members
E) CEOs

16) Which of the following best describes strategic human resource management?
16) ______
A) Emphasizing the knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise of a
firm's workers.
B) Planning the balance of internal strengths and weaknesses with external
opportunities and threats to maintain competitive advantage.
C) Extending a firm's sales, ownership, and manufacturing to new markets.
D) Managing a firm's insurance benefits administration process.
E) Formulating and executing human resource policies and practices that produce
the employee competencies and behaviors the company needs to achieve its
strategic aims.

17) The basic functions of management include all of the following except
________. 17) ______
A) staffing
B) organizing
C) planning
D) leading
E) motivating

18) The term '________' refers to an integrated set of human resource management
policies and practices that together result in superior employee performance. 18)
______
A) high-performance work system
B) benchmarking
C) human resource scorecard approach
D) strategic planning
E) strategic human resource management

19) A(n) ________ provides software applications, for instance, for processing
employment applications. 19) ______
A) data warehouse
B) HR portal
C) URL
D) database
E) application service provider (ASP)

20) The term '________' refers to the standards someone uses to decide what his or
her conduct should be. 20) ______
A) morals
B) ethics
C) autonomy
D) responsibility
E) culture

21) What tactic will employers likely have to take to fill openings left by retiring
employees? 21) ______
A) rehiring retirees
B) instituting flexible work hours
C) hiring more women
D) providing elder care
E) lowering the retirement age

22) ________ set guidelines regarding what the employer can and cannot do when
laying off employees. 22) ______
A) Fairness in Employment regulations
B) Occupational safety and health laws
C) Immigration laws
D) Labor laws
E) Advertising regulations

23) A ________ is a company's long-term plan for how it will balance its internal
strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats in order to
maintain a competitive advantage. 23) ______
A) strategy
B) scorecard
C) tactic
D) mission statement
E) SWOT analysis

24) What term captures the knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise
of a firm's workers? 24) ______
A) knowledge assets
B) human resources
C) intangible assets
D) intellectual property
E) human capital

25) Which organization provides professional certification for human resource

managers? 25) ______
A) Association of Certified HR Managers
B) Academy of Management
C) Arabian Society for Human Resource Management
D) Academy of HR Partners
E) Association of Business Administration
26) All of the following except ________ are ways that human resource
management improves corporate performance. 26) ______
A) human resource practices
B) strategic planning
C) technology
D) high performance work systems
E) all of the above are methods by which human resource management improves
corporate performance

27) Which of the specific activities listed below is part of the planning function?
27) ______
A) developing rules and procedures
B) giving each subordinate a specific task
C) recruiting prospective employees
D) training and developing employees
E) all of the above

28) Firms can use the ________ as a benchmark for the cost per hire metric. 28)
______
A) BNA Turnover Report
B) BNA Job Absence Report
C) Employer Costs for Employee Compensation Report
D) BNA/Cost per Hire Staffing Metrics Survey
E) none of the above

29) ________ set guidelines regarding safety practices at work. 29) ______
A) Equal employment laws
B) Advertising regulations
C) Occupational safety and health laws
D) Fairness in Employment regulations
E) Labor laws

30) High-performance work systems include all of the following practices except
________. 30) ______
A) selective hiring
B) information sharing
C) employment security
D) pay-for-performance rewards
E) network monitoring

31) Which of the following services is provided by an application service provider

(ASP)? 31) ______
A) manage services for the employer
B) procurement
C) benefits management
D) network monitoring
E) distance learning

32) ________ are authorized to direct the work of subordinates. 32) ______
A) Advisory board members
B) Leaders
C) Line managers
D) Staff managers
E) all of the above

33) The proportion of women in the Arab workforce is projected to ________. 33)
______
A) increase steadily
B) stop growing
C) decrease at an increasing rate
D) decrease as more women decide to stay home with children
E) none of the above

34) Zarina spends most of her time at work setting goals and standards and
developing rules and procedures. Which function of management does Zarina
specialize in? 34) ______
A) leading
B) planning
C) motivating
D) staffing
E) organizing

35) Which of the following demographic issues represents a challenge for human
resource managers in Arab countries? 35) ______
A) increasing the number of female workers
B) migrant workers
C) the aging workforce
D) both A and B
E) A, B, and C

36) ________ refers to the tendency of firms to extend their sales, ownership, and/or
manufacturing to new markets abroad. 36) ______
A) Expansion
B) Export growth
C) Diversification
D) Globalization
E) Market development

37) Which of the following types of laws does not affect the decisions of human
resource managers? 37) ______
A) labor laws
B) immigration laws
C) advertising regulations
D) occupational safety and health laws
E) all of the above affect the decisions of human resource managers

38) Which basic function of management includes setting standards such a sales
quotas and quality standards? 38) ______
A) staffing
B) leading
C) planning
D) controlling
E) organizing
39) Which basic function of management includes selecting employees, setting
performance standards, and compensating employees? 39) ______
A) leading
B) organizing
C) motivating
D) planning
E) staffing

40) Strategic human resource management is part of ________. 40) ______

A) strategic planning
B) a marketing plan
C) a high-performance work system
D) a benchmark study
E) SWOT analysis

41) Which of the following questions is not associated with the essence of
strategic planning? 41) ______
A) Where do we want to be?
B) How much must we earn in profits?
C) Where are we now as a business?
D) How should we get there?
E) all of the questions above are associated with strategic planning

42) When the HR manager acts to ensure that line managers are implementing the
firm's human resource policies and practices. They are carrying out the ________
function. 42) ______
A) staff
B) coordinative
C) policy
D) line
E) none of the above

43) All of the following are examples of human resource job duties except ________.
43) ______
A) recruiter
B) labor relations specialist
C) compensation manager
D) training specialist
E) financial advisor

44) ________ is the process of acquiring, training, appraising, and compensating

employees, and attending to their labor relations, health and safety, and fairness
concerns. 44) ______
A) Human Resource Management
B) Organizational Health and Safety Management
C) Industrial Psychology
D) Organizational Behavior
E) Labor Relations

45) The HR expense factor is equal to ________. 45) ______

A) revenue divided by the total number of full-time equivalents (FTE)
B) revenue minus operating expense minus compensation and benefit cost
divided by the total number of full-time equivalents (FTE)
C) HR expense divided by the total operating expense
D) total days elapsed to fill requisitions divided by the number hired
E) advertising plus agency fees plus employee referrals plus travel costs of
applicant plus relocation costs plus recruiter pay and benefits divided by number
of hires

46) Which basic function of management includes establishing goals and

standards, developing rules and procedures, and forecasting? 46) ______
A) planning
B) motivating
C) leading
D) staffing
E) organizing

47) ________ are used to enable employees to sign up for and manage their own
benefits packages and to update their personal information. 47) ______
A) grades
B) benchmarks
C) goals
D) e-procurement facilities
E) portals

48) What specific activities listed below are part of the controlling function? 48)
______
A) recruiting prospective employees
B) developing rules and procedures
C) training and developing employees
D) giving each subordinate a specific task
E) checking to see how actual performance compares with standards

49) The cost per hire is equal to ________. 49) ______

A) total days elapsed to fill requisitions divided by the number hired
B) advertising plus agency fees plus employee referrals plus travel costs of
applicant plus relocation costs plus recruiter pay and benefits, all divided by the
number of hires
C) HR expense divided by the total operating expense
D) revenue divided by the total number of full-time equivalents (FTE)
E) revenue minus operating expense minus compensation and benefit cost divided
by the total number of full-time equivalents (FTE)

50) The performance of human resource departments is evaluated based on

________. 50) ______
A) measurable evidence of efficiency
B) measurable evidence of effectiveness
C) qualitative measures of success
D) anecdotal evidence
E) both A and B

51) Jaber Al-Mallah is an HR manager for a Fortune 500 company. The MBA
degree he earned prior to taking this position has been helpful to him because it
prepared him to better understand the role of strategic planning, marketing,
production, and finance in creating a profitable organization. Which category of
proficiency has Jaber's MBA prepared him for? 51) ______
A) business proficiencies
B) learning proficiencies
C) leadership proficiencies
D) staffing proficiencies
E) HR proficiencies

52) Of the four categories of proficiencies necessary for HR managers, which one
refers to the ability to work with and lead management groups? 52) ______
A) staffing proficiencies
B) learning proficiencies
C) HR proficiencies
D) business proficiencies
E) leadership proficiencies

53) Metrics can be compared against ________ to evaluate an organization's

performance. 53) ______
A) turnover rate
B) cost per hire
C) absence rate
D) HR expense factor
E) all of the above

54) The ________ measures the rate at which employees leave the company. 54)
______
A) absence rate
B) turnover rate
C) turnover costs
D) time to fill
E) cost per hire

55) Of the four categories of proficiencies necessary for HR managers, which one
refers to knowledge of strategic planning, marketing, production, and finance? 55)
______
A) business proficiencies
B) learning proficiencies
C) HR proficiencies
D) leadership proficiencies
E) staffing proficiencies

56) Human resource management is ________. 56) ______

A) the process of acquiring, training, appraising, and compensating employees,
and attending to their labor relations, health and safety, and fairness concerns
B) the process of identifying countries with cheaper labor costs and relocating
jobs to those countries
C) the process of organizing work activities
D) the concepts and techniques used to control people at work
E) all of the above
57) The concise measurement system used by companies to show the
quantitative standards the firm uses to measure HR activities, employee
behaviors resulting from the activities, and the strategically relevant
organizational outcomes of those employee behaviors is called a(n) ________. 57)
______
A) annual report
B) evaluation system
C) evaluation benchmark
D) HR scorecard
E) appraisal system

58) Which of the following benefits of human capital is most identified by the
highest percentage of CFOs? 58) ______
A) profitability
B) customer satisfaction
C) speed to market
D) product innovation
E) growth

59) Effective human resource management could include ________. 59) ______
A) protecting employees' health
B) controlling labor costs
C) placing the right person in the right job
D) training employees
E) all are responsibilities necessary for effective human resource management

60) When managers use metrics to assess performance and then develop
strategies for corrective action, they are performing the ________ function of
management. 60) ______
A) staffing
B) leading
C) controlling
D) organizing
E) planning

61) As the organization grows in size, line mangers need the assistance of the
________ for specialized knowledge and advice. 61) ______
A) CEO
B) Advisory board members
C) Staff managers
D) HR staff
E) all of the above

62) ________ is used to facilitate distance learning and training or to provide

corporate information to employees quickly and inexpensively applications in
human resource management include(s) ________. 62) ______
A) web portal
B) streaming desktop video
C) wireless net access
D) data warehousing
E) all of the above
63) Human resource managers generally exert ________ within the human
resources department and ________ outside the human resources department. 63)
______
A) functional control; authoritarian control
B) staff authority; specific authority
C) line authority; implied authority
D) line authority; staff authority
E) staff authority; line authority

64) In which area must HR managers be proficient in order to perform well in

today's environment? 64) ______
A) leadership proficiencies
B) HR proficiencies
C) business proficiencies
D) learning proficiencies
E) all of the above

65) Which term below is used to refer to a set of quantitative performance

measures human resource managers use to assess their operations? 65) ______
A) ASPs
B) statistics
C) metrics
D) benchmarks
E) tools

66) What metric evaluates retention efforts by an organization? 66) ______

A) cost per hire
B) HR expense factor
C) absence rate
D) turnover rate
E) time to fill

67) Which term refers to letting outside vendors provide services for a firm? 67)
______
A) external work systems
B) outsourcing
C) rightsizing
D) data warehousing
E) application service providers

68) The term '________' refer to the ability of the HR manager to stay abreast of and
apply all the new technologies and practices affecting the profession. 68) ______
A) learning proficiencies
B) business proficiencies
C) HR proficiencies
D) leadership proficiencies
E) none of the above

69) Firms can use the ________ as a benchmark for the 'Time to fill' metric. 69)
______
A) BNA Turnover Report
B) Employer Costs for Employee Compensation Report
C) BNA Job Absence Report
D) BNA/Cost per Hire Staffing Metrics Survey
E) none of the above

TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.
70) Benefits of a High Performance Work System (HPWS) include the reduction of
wasta (use of family and other close networks to obtain work-related favors
unrelated to merit). 70) T______

71) Cost per hire is calculated by adding all of the costs involved in getting new
hires (including advertising costs, recruiter costs, and travel costs) divided by the
number of new hires. 71)T ______

72) The time to fill metric illustrates the efficiency of the firm's recruiting
function. 72) T______

73) HR portals represent a form of outsourcing. 73)F ______

74) Aging of the population as a percentage of the total population is applicable in

some Arab countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. 74)T ______

75) The HR Scorecard is a concise measurement system which shows the

quantitative standards the firm used to measure the effectiveness and efficiency
of human resource activities. 75) T______

76) Turnover rates can be improved with retention efforts. 76)T ______

77) Ethical issues such as workplace safety, security of employee records,

comparable work, and employee privacy rights are all related to human resource
management. 77) T______

78) Communicating is one of the five basic functions of management. 78)F ______

79) The division of human resource responsibilities for line managers and staff
managers varies from organization to organization. 79)T ______

80) Leading is giving each subordinate a specific task; establishing departments;

delegating authority to subordinates. 80) F______

81) Staff managers are always someone's boss. 81) F______

82) The planning function of management includes establishing goals and

standards and developing forecasts. 82)T ______

83) The ASHRM Arabian Human Resource Certification exams include testing
dedicated to the management and development of human resources and the
exchange of information and expertise in this area. 83) T______

84) In the majority of firms, the task of interviewing job candidates is shared
between HR and the hiring department. 84) T______

85) In Arab societies, ethics is strongly informed by religious values. 85)T ______
86) Setting standards such as sales quotas, quality standards, or production
levels is part of the leading function of human resource management. 86) F______

87) A company's absence rate can be compared to the BNA Job Absence Report
to assess whether the absence rate represents a problem. 87)T ______

88) Four learning proficiencies are important in HRM: strategic planning,

marketing, production, and finance. 88) F______

89) ASP is a special wireless technology used to synchronize various electronic

tools like cellular phones and PCs and facilitate employee access to employer
online HR services. 89) F______

90) CFOs tend to believe that human capital has no positive effect on business
outcomes like growth and profitability. 90) F______

91) When human resource managers make sure employees can contest unfair
practices, they are carrying out an innovator role. 91) F______

92) In small organizations, line managers may carry out all personnel duties
without the assistance of a human resource staff. 92)T ______

93) Human resource managers are generally staff managers. 93)T ______

94) Medians are quantitative performance measures used to assess operations.

94) F______

95) Human resource managers assist in hiring, training, evaluating, rewarding,

counseling, promoting, and hiring employees. 95)T ______

96) aThe average fertility rate in the Arab region has reached an all-time low. 96)F
______

97) At the individual level, Arab employees have been increasingly subject to
working with expatriates, expatriation and emigration, long working hours, and
stress at work. 97) T______

98) 'Kuwaitization' implies mandatory local employment. 98)T ______

99) Staff managers are authorized to direct the work of subordinates and are
directly in charge of accomplishing the organization's basic goals. 99) F______

ESSAY. Write your answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet of paper.
100) Human resource managers carry out three distinct functions. List and
explain the three functions.

101) Employment law increasingly affects the decisions of human resource

managers. Name three types of laws and explain the purpose of each one.

102) Identify five metrics used to evaluate HR performance.

103) What are the five basic functions of management? Explain some of the
specific activities involved in each function. Is one function more important for
human resource management?

104) What are the four main ways that technology improves HR functioning?

105) Explain the difference between line authority and staff authority. What type
of authority do human resource managers have?

106) Which of the five management functions is most related to human resource
management? What job duties are associated with this function of management?

107) What are the four categories of proficiencies required today for human
resource managers? Explain the meaning of each type of proficiency.
1) E
2) E
3) A
4) C
5) E
6) C
7) D
8) C
9) A
10) E
11) C
12) A
13) C
14) A
15) B
16) E
17) E
18) A
19) E
20) B
21) A
22) D
23) A
24) E
25) C
26) B
27) A
28) D
29) C
30) E
31) A
32) C
33) E
34) B
35) E
36) D
37) C
38) D
39) E
40) A
41) B
42) B
43) E
44) A
45) C
46) A
47) E
48) E
49) B
50) E
51) A
52) E
53) E
54) B
55) A
56) A
57) D
58) B
59) E
60) C
61) D
62) B
63) C
64) E
65) C
66) D
67) B
68) A
69) D
70) TRUE
71) TRUE
72) TRUE
73) FALSE
74) TRUE
75) TRUE
76) TRUE
77) TRUE
78) FALSE
79) TRUE
80) FALSE
81) FALSE
82) TRUE
83) TRUE
84) TRUE
85) TRUE
86) FALSE
87) TRUE
88) FALSE
89) FALSE
90) FALSE
91) FALSE
92) TRUE
93) TRUE
94) FALSE
95) TRUE
96) FALSE
97) TRUE
98) TRUE
99) FALSE
100) The three functions include a line function, a coordination function, and a
staff function. HR managers exert line authority within the HR department
because they direct the activities of the people in that department. HR managers
also coordinate personnel activities. In the staff function, HR managers assist in
hiring, training, evaluating, rewarding, counseling, promoting, and firing
employees. They also administer benefit programs and help line managers comply
with employment laws, occupational health and safety, and labor laws.
101) The three types of laws are immigration laws, occupational safety and health
laws, and labor laws. Immigration laws are set guidelines regarding how the
company recruits foreign candidates; occupational safety and health laws
mandate strict guidelines regarding safety practices at work; and labor laws lay
out, among other things, what the employer can and cannot do when laying off
employees.
102) The five metrics detailed in the text include cost per hire, absence rate, HR
expense factor, time to fill, and turnover rate. There are numerous other metrics
as well such as health care costs per employee, human capital return on
investment, turnover costs, and workers' compensation costs per employee.
103) The five basic functions are planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and
controlling. Planning activities include establishing goals and standards,
developing rules and procedures, and developing plans and forecasting.
Organizing activities include giving specific task assignments to subordinates,
establishing departments, delegating authority to subordinates, and establishing
channels of authority and communication. Staffing activities include determining
what type of people should be hired, recruiting prospective employees, and
setting performance standards. Leading activities include maintaining morale and
motivating subordinates. Controlling activities include setting standards such as
sales quotas, and quality standards and taking corrective action as needed.
Staffing is the function most readily related to human resource management.
However, HR managers actually perform all five functions.
104) Technology improves HR functioning through self-service options, call
centers, productivity improvement, and outsourcing.
105) Authority is the right to make decisions, to direct the work of others, and to
give orders. Line managers are authorized to direct the work of subordinates and
are directly in charge of accomplishing the organization's basic goals. Staff
managers are authorized to assist and advise line managers in accomplishing
these basic goals. Human resource managers are usually staff managers because
they are responsible for assisting and advising line managers in areas like
recruiting, hiring, and compensation. However, human resource managers do
have line authority within their own department.
106) Staffing is the function affiliated to human resource management. The types
of job duties categorized under the staffing function include conducting job
analyses, planning labor needs, recruiting job candidates, selecting job
candidates, managing wages, providing incentives, appraising performance,
communicating, training, and building employee commitment.
107) The four categories of proficiencies are HR proficiencies, business
proficiencies, leadership proficiencies and learning proficiencies. HR
proficiencies represent traditional knowledge and skills in such areas as
employee selection, training, and compensation. Business proficiencies refer to
operations strategy, strategic planning, marketing, production, and finance.
Leadership proficiencies include the ability to lead and manage groups. Learning
proficiencies include the ability to stay abreast of and apply new technologies.